Today the Byzantine Church venerates Saint Sabbas (+532), "the Archimandrite of all the hermits of Palestine." Read more
Today the Byzantine Church venerates Saint Sabbas (+532), "the Archimandrite of all the hermits of Palestine."
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Song of Songs 3, 1-5
On my bed at night I sought the man who is my sweetheart: I sought but could not find him!
So I shall get up and go through the city; in the streets and in the squares, I shall seek my sweetheart. I sought but could not find him!
I came upon the watchmen -- those who go on their rounds in the city: 'Have you seen my sweetheart?'
Barely had I passed them when I found my sweetheart. I caught him, would not let him go, not till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room where she conceived me!
LOVER: I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, by gazelles and wild does, do not rouse, do not wake my beloved before she pleases.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
We now find ourselves at the fourth poem of the Song of Songs. An outside voice, perhaps from the chorus, sings a nuptial song that describes the parade of the "litter of Solomon." As they advance towards Jerusalem, a column of smoke, perfumes of myrrh and frankincense reveal their way. This image immediately reminds us of Exodus and of the 40 years in which the Lord raised up his people so that they recognized him as their liberator. It was a time of mutual understanding between the Lord and his people. The Scripture speaks of the column of fire that at night illuminated the way and of the cloud during the day that shielded the people of Israel from the enemy. The outside voice invites the reader to consider Solomon’s parade more closely by urging, "Look, it is the litter of Solomon!" It then highlights the extraordinary legion of men, "[a]round it are sixty mighty men of the mighty men of Israel." As the column of smoke alludes to Exodus, the "litter" alludes to the Temple, the place of the Lord’s presence. For Christians, the new Solomon is Jesus and the new temple is the Church, the community of believers. The author reminds us that every attention was given to building the "litter of Solomon": that "wood from Lebanon" was used, as well as silver and gold with purple and precious embroidery; the cantor also emphasizes that its "interior was inlaid with love." The description can be applied to the Church; that is, the fruit of God’s love that he wove with his own hands. How can we not be amazed by this embroidery of love? We are invited to look with wonder at God’s embroidery which is the Church, an embroidery for his Son. We do not find ourselves before a work made by human hands, but before a mystery that opens us up to God himself. The words of the Song urge us to leave behind a mundane and petty mindset and move beyond human standards so as to see the mystery that is the Church. She can be contemplated only in relationship with her groom, "Daughters of Jerusalem, come out. Look, O daughters of Zion, at King Solomon...on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart." Only by having the eyes and the heart of Jesus is it possible to understand, or at least to intuit the treasure of love that the Church is to Jesus. Jesus is the first "lover" of the Church; he gave up his life for her even unto death on the cross. He crowned her with glory, "Look, O daughters of Zion, at King Solomon, at the crown with which his mother crowned him." For us, the "litter of Solomon" is the community of believers and the precious place where we can find refreshment, rest and comfort.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
